Bishop Miege senior wins Gatorade Kansas Girls Soccer Player of the Year award

Versatility is what has kept Sophia Stram successful. From completely changing positions to playing four sports, Stram knows how to do what is needed across any field.

That’s a big reason why Stram was named the 2020 Gatorade Kansas Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

Stram graduated from Bishop Miege High School and led the team to three state championships. In 2019, she scored all four goals for her team in the state title game.

Four goals is special, particularly in the game of that magnitude, but scoring wasn’t something Stram always did. Defense was her specialty when she played club soccer.

“My high school coached moved me to forward, and I feel like I helped the team with assists even though I scored a lot, but I really stepped up as a leader my sophomore and junior year,” Stram said. “Each year, each state title gave me more motivation because I didn’t want to let the team down.”

Playing as a forward during the spring high school season became advantageous when she returned to defense. With a 4.12 weighted GPA along with her extracurriculars, Stram secured a scholarship with the Saint Louis University women’s soccer team. She will play defense for the Billikens, but she said her time at the front of the field will help her when she returns to the backline.

“It definitely helps because you have the mindset of a forward while you’re playing defense, so you know how they are wired,” Stram said.

Stram found out about earning the player of the year award from her high school coach, Nate Huppe. He texted her about it, and she couldn’t have been more surprised based on her competition. Stram was competing against her club soccer teammate, Lexy Farrington. Farrington won The Kansas City Star’s 2020 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year earlier this month.

“I have played with her and played against her, and she’s amazing, so I wasn’t going to be surprised if she won,” Stram said.

Huppe knew Stram deserved the award, though. Stram scored 61 goals and had 28 assists while playing for the Stags.

“Sophia is a once-in-a-lifetime type of player,” Huppe said in a press release. “She is an incredible leader both on and off the field.”

Stram’s work fundraising for pediatric cancer research as well as being a youth soccer coach and swimming instructor contributed to her winning the award. The first Gatorade Player of the Year from Bishop Miege, she is now a finalist for Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year, which will be announced later this month.